Well, ahh, basically we were just looking for an excuse to tool around on H-D’s swell newFSXB Breakout for a while, and decided to bring one of our favorite cruisers, the VictoryGunner, along for the ride to see how things stack up between these American cruisers. In the powertrain departments, at least, both big V-Twins are representative of their makers’ current offerings.
The ride itself is surprisingly sweet. You can see the black chrome sliders moving up and down on the fork tubes, but you don’t really feel most bumps, and the 3.1 inches of travel out back does nice work too even if you’re not a 250-pound brawler. Heck man, it’s a 703-pound muscle-bound Harley, even bumps seem to clear a path when they see it coming.
It’s pretty quick in the 40, too (that’s 40-yard dash for you non-linebackers, sneer …); 68 horsepower is nothing to brag about, but 87 pound-feet of torque at just 3000 rpm are Harley’s stock in trade. Drop the clutch in the alley, and the dragster-inspired theme makes immediate sense as the four-inch pistons and pushrods and rocker arms all get suddenly serious. Really it seems like the only guys who look down their noses at Harleys are ones who’ve never ridden one. The “Big Twin” (I think that’s trademarked) really does produce a unique, visceral experience for all six senses when you twist its tail, which is probably why it has so many imitators. And there are plenty of ways to get more power out of this engine.
The easiest would be, as Tom R. points out, for H-D to just put the Project Rushmore High Output Twin Cam 103 in at the factory. The one in our 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special Vs. Indian Chieftain shootout made 9 more horses and 5 more lb-ft.
She stops good, anyway. All the Softails got a new front brake for 2015 that requires 40% less lever effort for maximum braking. A new master cylinder, a new 4-piston caliper with 32 and 34mm pistons with a special coating, and a larger 300mm rotor add up to this being the hardest-stopping Harley I can remember – even with just the one disc. ABS is standard too, with the sensors tucked out of sight inside the hubs.
The main complaint with the Gunner remains its gearbox: “The transmission in all Victory motorcycles has, for years, been lambasted by the motorcycle press for its overtly noisy, clanky operation, and Victory has failed to address the issue,” says Tom Roderick. I personally don’t find it all that bad. It and the Harley both engage first and second like train cars coupling – which bikes like these have been doing for so long, I assumed it was part of the show – but once past second gear, shifting is pretty non-eventful on both of them even though you won’t mistake either 6-speed for a KTM gearbox. Both of them engage gears smoothly with just a partial pull on the clutch lever once you’re rolling, and the Gunner in particular has a nice, light lever pull.